Train Like Lance

Do The Tour: Accelerating on Hills

Stage 6: Conquering The Short and Steep Hills

chris carmichael

Chris Carmichael, Lance Armstrong's coach, has designed a program to let Bicycling.com readers incorporate some Tour de France workouts into their own training. Each day we'll feature intervals and activities that address the demands of the day's race stage. Today's workout: Conquering The Short and Steep Hills

Even though Stage 6 has only four categorized climbs, and they are all Category 4, there are countless rises and rollers throughout this 199km day in the saddle. The final climb may prove to be the most decisive. The summit of the category four Cote de Maron climb is just 13 kilometers from the finish line, providing a possible launch pad for the winning attack. Unlike mountain passes, small, short and steep climbs are often contested at higher intensity. On the big climbs, the peloton splits into small groups and everyone rides at the pace they can sustain. On a stage like this, the peloton doesn't want to split, so riders need to be able to accelerate while climbing to keep from losing wheel before them.

The Workout:

General Task: 2:00 EnduranceMiles

Specific Task: HillAccelerations: Find a hill that you can reach the top of in 4-8 minutes. To simulate the demands of a race, go up the climb at a hard, but sustainable pace. As you get within 500 meters of the summit, begin gradually increasing your effort and speed. You should be seated throughout the effort, and by the time you reach the summit you should be going all-out. Recovery between HillAccelerations should be about 10 minutes, and you should repeat the effort 4-5 times.